


Mask

by sergeantwinter



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Fake AH Crew, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 11:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11713233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sergeantwinter/pseuds/sergeantwinter
Summary: When Jeremy asks to paint Ryan's face, Ryan revels in the intimacy of the gesture. That feeling doesn't last for long.





	Mask

**Author's Note:**

> A short thing based on a prompt I was sent on tumblr!

The Vagabond was a monster in the field, a man composed of chaos, instilling fear in the hearts of everyone who crossed his path. In the privacy of the Fake AH Crew headquarters, however, Ryan was actually a pretty tranquil guy. He wore nondescript clothing, didn’t make much noise, and tried to keep his space as neat as possible. He liked to have structure, something that had been severely lacking in his life before he joined the crew, and he never followed a routine more strictly than on mornings before a heist.

The house was silent and dark when Ryan awoke, as though uninhabited. He didn’t bother to turn on any lights lest he disturb the rest of crew; he knew the house well enough that he could rely solely on muscle memory to guide him. He made his way to the garage to check the car engine, tire pressure, make sure they had enough weapons stashed in it. He checked the news, the weather, traffic updates – something as simple as unexpected rain could derail their entire plan.

When he was satisfied that their preparation was complete, he made his way back into the house, still cloaked in darkness, to shower. He let the water run cold, and by the time he was finished the sun had begun to filter through the bathroom window, lighting the way for the final part of his routine.

On heist days, Ryan does not exist – there is only the Vagabond. Ryan retrieved his face paints from the bathroom cabinet, placing them on the counter in the order that he would use them, ready to begin his transformation.

A knock on the door startled him; the paint shattered into a thousand black flakes as it hit the tiles.

Jeremy’s voice was soft as he spoke, peeking around the edge of the door. “It’s just me. Sorry for scaring you.”

Ryan sucked in a deep breath, closed his eyes against the mix of anger and worry he could feel brewing in his stomach. “I don’t have any more black paint.” He knew that it was an accident, but his routine had just been ruined.

Jeremy disappeared without replying, but returned a few moments later with a small black pot in his hand. Ryan reached for it but Jeremy drew his hand back. “Can I do it?” Ryan was hesitant at first but Jeremy’s eyes were earnest; Ryan sat on top of the toilet seat and closed his eyes, presenting himself to Jeremy.

Jeremy worked slowly to create the Vagabond’s face, dragging his fingers across Ryan’s face gently, caressing him. The intimacy of the act made Ryan feel like a work of art; he was so immersed in Jeremy’s touch that he thought he might fall asleep. Eventually Jeremy’s hands left Ryan’s face, his work complete, but were quickly replaced by his lips, pressing against the corner of Ryan’s own.

“Careful,” Ryan murmured. “You’ll smudge your hard work.” He threaded his hands through Jeremy’s and walked out of the bathroom, leaving his paints strewn across the counter.  

 *

The heist went off without a hitch, and Ryan breathed a sigh of relief as he, Geoff and the lads scrambled into the getaway car and took off, speeding through back alleys just in case they were being tailed.

“Hey, uh, Ryan?” Geoff broke the silence about half way through the journey; he sounded unusually amused, but Ryan chalked it up to post-heist adrenaline. “Could you, uh, facetime Jack for me, make sure that the merchandise is all good?”

“Why facetime? I can just call and ask…”

“No, no, you’ve gotta facetime,” Geoff interrupted, handing his phone over to Ryan. “I want you to  _see_  it.” Ryan frowned, but complied nonetheless. When his face appeared on the screen, he almost didn’t recognise himself – instead of the usual red, black and white, his face was painted orange and purple.

The backseat of the car erupted with laughter. Ryan locked eyes with Jeremy in the rear-view mirror. His own eyes widened in realised as he yelled “YOU!” Ryan twisted round in his seat to face the lads, eyes scrunched up with mirth.

“Love you, Ryan!” Jeremy managed to say through his laughter, and Ryan couldn’t help but smile himself.

“You’re the worst. Absolute worst.”


End file.
